Running Head: ESL TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Exploring ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices of teaching English Writing during COVID-19

Pandemic: A case study in Malaysia

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ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 2

Abstract

The current research proposal aims to propose a study that will investigate ESL teachers’

beliefs and practices of teaching English writing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequently,

the proposed investigation is a case study of Malaysia. Essentially, beliefs are necessities that

facilitate an understanding of how ESL teachers shape their work. Beliefs are sufficient and

comprehensive to their teaching methods alongside their classroom decisions. The study focuses

on the beliefs of teachers with time specification to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Focus is

instilled on English as a second language (ESL) in Malaysia. It is anticipated that ESL teachers’

belief play a vital role in teaching English writing especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The

pandemic is anticipated to bring changes in teachers’ practices. These changes in teachers’

practices are attributed to changes in teachers’ beliefs. The current proposal views teachers’

changes in beliefs resulting to Covid-19 as a multidimensional. Subsequently, it is triggered both

by personal factors and professional contexts prevailing for teachers’ work in Malaysia. The

Covid-19 pandemic has prompted the current study to investigate the evolution of changes in

teachers’ beliefs. It seeks to propose a research that will investigate the current ESL teachers’

beliefs in teaching English writing as prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Introduction

The introductory chapter is structured to offer the synopsis of the proposed study. It seeks

to build emphasis on the importance of carrying out a research study on the topic chosen.

Additionally, it seeks to evidence the reasons leading to the researcher’s choice of the current

topic. The basis details of the introductions for the study will follow the described conceptual

framework below. It will start with offering the background of the study, problem of the study,

objectives of the study, significance of the study, literature review and methods proposed to be

used.

Problem statement

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many countries with Malaysia being no exception.

As an effect resulting from the pandemic, the closure of the educational institutions was instilled

as a measure to prevent further spread of the pandemic. The Malaysian ministry of education

(MOE) on closure of educational institutions, encouraged teachers to engage their students using

online educational technologies ("Communicative Language Teaching in Malaysian ESL

Context: A Qualitative Exploration into In-service Teachers' Beliefs and Practices", 2021). These

technologies were sought to execute teaching and learning processes during the pandemic.

However, the sudden changes resulting from Covd-19 pandemic necessitate teachers to transition

learning and teaching.

Consequently, the ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices are considered to go through

tremendous changes in teaching English writing (Huang, 2021). Teachers are now required to

carry out online education while teaching English as a second language and writing. Going back
ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 4

to evaluate the history of education in the world, the study of foreign language, specifically

English has always been used as a strategic human resource development. Even with the

considerations of Malaysian education system, students are necessitated to pass an English test at

their junior and senior high school levels (Zaharah & Windarti, 2020). Consequently, that depicts

the importance of learning English as a second language (ESL) in the world of education across

the globe. The process of educating a student leaves the teacher with a very vital role.

Essentially, the Malaysian education system has offered the teacher the central role in

carrying out interactive teaching (Barrot, 2016). Therefore, the teacher is left with molding roles

of designing, programming, innovation and organizer among others in carrying out effective

teaching of English and writing. Teaching English and writing as a second language has always

been associated with difficulties and more specifically for Malaysian students (Pema Dendup,

2020). Each class or level of learning necessitates that different skills to be implemented.

Therefore, teachers are necessitated to implement effective strategies that give way for students

to learn and internalize the materials.

In the current wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers are tasked with responsibilities of

being creative in choosing effective materials. Teachers are also tasked with responsibilities of

being able to stimulate learners’ interests (Liya Umaroh, 2021). The Covid-19 pandemic

necessitates that teachers should be able to manipulate strategies that are fundamental in

supporting the teaching and learning processes of teaching English writing during this pandemic.

Learning strategies are direct resultants of ESL teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices. Their

beliefs can result to making learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, effective and transferable in

lieu of accommodating new situations.

Research questions
ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 5

1. What are the ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices of teaching English writing in Malaysia

2. How does the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic affect the ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices

on teaching English writing in Malaysia?

3. What are the evolving teachers’ strategies on English e-learning as evidenced by the

teachers’ belief and practice changes in Malaysia?

Objectives of the proposed study

The proposed study aims at exploring ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices of teaching English

writing during the current ongoing Covid-19 pandemic with respect to Malaysia as the case

study. The objectives are listed below

1. To carry out an evaluation of the ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices of teaching English

and writing in Malaysia.

2. To evaluate the effects resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and their effects to

ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices on teaching English writing in Malaysia.

3. To critically analyze the evolving teachers’ strategies on ESL English e-earning as

necessitated by the current ongoing pandemic as evidenced by teachers’ beliefs and

practice changes in Malaysia.

Significance of the proposed study

Theoretical benefits

The proposed research will be beneficial to the knowledge provision since it will carry

out an in-depth study through qualitative methods on the subject topic. It will also be beneficial

since it will engage future researchers with a favorable description for further studies and

research in cases where they want to study the same phenomena. In essence, the proposed
ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 6

research will become a helpful source of information and reference to future studies and

researches.

Practical benefits

The proposed research aims that the results of the study shall be for the other teachers as

the dynamics and strategies for teaching English evolve due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It seeks

to facilitate teachers with knowledge of positive boosting their beliefs and practices with the aim

of incorporating new teaching methods amid the pandemic. It is also sought that the proposed

study shall be beneficial to students as it will investigate appropriate methods and strategies for

learning resulting from ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices. Strategically, the teaching methods

resulting from the beliefs and practices as necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic shall be

discussed to facilitate a positive attitude towards learning.

Preliminary literature review

The modernity of education has constantly shifted the classroom context to digital era.

Consequently, a lot of research has been focused on digital learning and language learning

through digitalized platforms. There has also been studies that have sought to investigate

teachers’ beliefs in English language teaching and learning as a second language. Some studies

have evidenced that beliefs are fundamental in eliciting the understanding of how teachers calve

their work through comprehension of their teaching methods and classroom decisions. Recent

years have also seen an increase in research investigating teachers’ beliefs especially due to the

significant improvement they display in English language teaching and writing. Nonetheless, the

current proposed study will be one of its kind since it investigates the beliefs and practices of

ESL teachers’ on teaching English and writing.

Payant (2016) has engaged on studies that explored on teaching and learning English.

The proposed research will benefit from the study due to its varied investigated dynamics.

Firstly, the research has articulated the importance of studying English writing. It has also

engaged on discussing the four skills that are fundamental on teaching and learning English. The

research has also outlined that in Malaysia, English is taken as the second language and is taught

as the second language too. It therefore necessitate learners in Malaysia to learn English and

writing. Consequently, the government has invested on ESL English teachers. "Communicative

Language Teaching in Malaysian ESL Context: A Qualitative Exploration into In-service

Teachers' Beliefs and Practices", (2021) studies are also depicting the same ideas stating that

learning English is necessitated as it evolves to being the business language globally.

Cheung & Hennebry-Leung, (2020) argue that much has been investigated and written

about relationships entangled on teachers’ beliefs and practices. Consequently, he proposed a

study that sought to discuss the role of emotions in the realm of teacher cognitions. His study

presented a case study investigating English as a second language (ESL). His investigations on

beliefs and practices were enshrined on teachers’ beliefs and practices on teaching literary texts.

His study largely borrowed on the concepts of Zembylas’ three levels of teachers’ emotions

(Zhang, 2017). The study, consistent to Rifiyanti, (2020) study, found out that teachers practices

and beliefs are complex in nature and may converge or diverge with their beliefs. It also

concurred with Pema Dendup, (2020) study that stipulated that various attributes and contextual

factors were found to strongly build to the complexities.

Other studies that would facilitate the literature development of the proposed study

include those of Noor et al., (2020) who stipulated that the nature of teachers’ beliefs and

practices are crucial to ESL English learning. His study investigated teachers’ beliefs and
ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 8

changes. The study aimed at discovering how beliefs formed part of the processes of

understanding how teachers conceptualized their work. (Liya Umaroh, 2021) stipulated in his

studies that Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated the changes in teaching English as a second

language. The study further stipulates that the different elements necessitating a change in

teaching style as necessitated by the pandemic have resulted to evolution on teachers’ beliefs and

practices on ESL English learning and writing. Barrot, (2016) supports the views in his study

that sought to investigate the relationships between teachers’ beliefs and practices. The studies

are also further investigated by Al-Sobhi & Preece, (2018) who investigated the systematic

functioning linguistics in the language classroom. Further, Zaharah & Windarti, (2020)

investigates the same phenomina through theorizing and studying the language-teaching mind.

The study was developed with a view of mapping research on language teacher cognition.

Proposed Methodology

The current proposal suggests the utilization of qualitative research methods. This will

involve the research carrying out investigations through collection and analysis of data that will

facilitate the understanding of the concepts being investigated. The research proposal suggests

the use of descriptive qualitative research to collect data (Edwards & Brannelly, 2017). The

qualitative descriptive focus is geared towards establishing the techniques used by ESL teachers

in teaching English as the second language in Malaysia. Consequently, the researcher will be

able to carry out an investigation of their beliefs and practices especially in the wake of the

Covid-19 pandemic (Gupta et al., n.d.). The method chosen is strongly qualified by its ability to

describe and analyze the abilities, forms, uniqueness, and adapted teaching techniques during the

Covid-19 pandemic.

Sources of data
ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 9

The suggested method facilitates data interpretation as a representation of information or

notes. These are collected in form if facts occupying the form of texts and/or numeric (Abram et

al., 2020). Consequently, data will be collected in the field in forms of written texts and

interview transcripts (Walski, 2020). Sources of the described data above shall be persons,

something or a place that provides information on the beliefs and practices of ESL teachers

teaching English writing during the Covid-19 pandemic. The primary data sources anticipated to

be observed in data collection are words and actions (Edwards & Brannelly, 2017). Additionally,

the research will also explore additional data obtained from sources such as documents and other

sources. Therefore, the primary data source remains to be interviews conducted on English

teachers in Malaysia.

Data collection techniques

The current proposal suggests that data collection techniques shall be done using

observation, interviews, and documentation. Observation shall occupy the nature of systematic

recording of phenomenon in the natural environment (Abram et al., 2020). It is aimed at

facilitating the researcher in data collection by feeling and understanding the knowledge of the

phenomenon (Walski, 2020). The observation nature is going to be guided by the type of data the

researcher is analyzing.

The data collection techniques shall also include interviews. Basically, the interview shall

consist of a conversation that seeks to gather information through the description of life of a

person being interviewed (Edwards & Brannelly, 2017). The method is sought to be used in the

study as it will facilitate an in-depth information collection about the subject matter of the

proposed study. The current proposal suggests a face-to-face interview in the middle of the

pandemic through total observation of the Covid-19 guidelines. The researcher shall identify
ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 10

teachers to be interviewed (Gupta et al., n.d.). The type of interview suggested in the current

study is the structured interviews with the ESL English teachers in Malaysia.

Data analysis

The current proposal suggests a qualitative data methodology. Consequently, the data

analysis shall be through qualitative data analysis techniques (Gupta et al., n.d.). As such, data

analysis is carried out simultaneously with data collection. Therefore, the proposal suggests

coding as a way of facilitating data analysis. This will be in forms of short words and phrases

that symbolically summarize, highlights the message, and captures the essence of the portion of

data (Abram et al., 2020). Encoding shall be done in language or visual data. Data that presents

the same codes would be categorized together.

Limitation of the methods

It is anticipated that data collection method, and the researcher playing the primary role

in analyzing and interpreting data, the research might not be replicable (Walski, 2020). It is

anticipated that the researcher shall have the sole influence of deciding what is important and

what is irrelevant in the analysis of the data (Walski, 2020). This might lead to a varying

interpretation of the data. The data collected might present a situation where patterns are hard to

see.
ESL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices 11

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Barrot, J. (2016). Examining the Teaching Beliefs and Practices of Experienced ESL Teachers:

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